Many options available for both modern and traditional gifts this Valentine’s Day

YONG PENG: If you are an environmentally conscious person and looking for something unusual as gifts for your loved ones this Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day or any other auspicious celebrations like birthdays, you may want to consider handmadesoaps.

“Some people might find it odd to give soap as gifts, however, it is becoming popular among people in the big towns and cities lately,” said art soap maker Wong Kim Chin.

More people were adopting environmental friendly habits such as recycling and using non-polluting products, she said.

“It is even more meaningful if you make the soap yourself with your own creativity,” said Wong.

The 30-year-old ex-journalist said she started making handmade soup as hobby as she found it therapeutic after a long day at work.

“I find it relaxing soap with colours, fragrance, shapes and other ingredients that I like.

“It does not bring harm to the environment, for me, it is best way to pamper myself,” she said.

Wong decided to quit her job six months ago and turning her hobby into a full-time business by conducting workshop here.

During the two hours workshop, participants would be briefed on the benefits of handmade soap, ingredients and process.

“At the end of the workshop many participants told me that they would keep the soaps instead of using them because the soaps were so pretty,” she said, adding that the handmade soap has no preservative and it was best to use within one and a half year.

For owner of a florist shop in Batu Pahat David Yu, many people would stick to “traditional gifts” for Valentine’s Day celebration and other occasions. “Bouquets like arrangement of cut flowers, chocolates and soft toys remain popular among young people.

“Some of them are very creative and know what kind of bouquet design that they want, while some other will pick the ready made ones,” he said.

Presentation is the priority of many of his customers and they did not care much about prices as long as they like it, Yu said, adding that majority of his customers prefer imported flowers because of the quality.

Besides young people, Yu said he also have fathers who walked into the shop with their children and chose flowers together for their wives and mothers.

“We also have women buying roses for their men,” he said, adding that red roses remained the most popular flower while small number of people prefering lily and tulips.